Ingredient dispensing container cap with drink through passage

ABSTRACT

A drink through dispensing cap for covering a primary container with ingredients for storing and dispensing one or more ingredients until the time of use. The device includes a flexible actuator and a protective cover the drink through passage that also is used to depressed the upper part of the device causing a plunger to break the seal at the bottom of the storage chamber dispensing the ingredients and a piercing element to pierce a seal that opens the drink through passage. A protective cover is used to prevent flow out of the drink through passage when not in use and for activating the device manually. The user&#39;s hands do not have to touch any portion of the drink through passage

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an ingredient dispensing cap that is mounted on and within a primary container opening for storing ingredients to be dispensed into the primary container contents at time of use, and specifically to a dispensing cap having an ingredient storage chamber and a drink through passage that is used to dispense the stored ingredients mixed with the contents in the primary container in a hands-free manner.

2. Description of Related Art

Many beverages, cleaning products, oil products, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals and substances, do not retain their stability, strength, and effectiveness, for long after the ingredients have been mixed in a solution or suspension with a different liquid or substance. Many liquids, gels, or other type solutions are formulated for shelf life rather than for quality, effectiveness, and potency of a product. In many cases, ingredients such as: stabilizers, fillers, preservatives, binders, and other types of chemicals and substances are added that now can be reduced or eliminated by this invention. This reduced shelf life after mixing mandates that the mixed product be utilized relatively soon after mixing to obtain full strength and effectiveness, to prevent loss of effective strength, deterioration, discoloration, interaction between ingredients and reduced effectiveness. It is estimated that 60 billion empty bottles go to landfills in the United States every year. A liquid dispensing or dosing cap with concentrate can be used to allow consumer to use a reusable bottle, reducing the problem of empty bottles in landfills.

A dispensing cap can be used for any primary container to seal the primary container until use and to store different ingredients to be mixed in the primary container at the time of use. The dispensing cap includes its own ingredient storage and released chamber. Any ingredients that are stored in the dispensing cap can be dispensed into any container (whether threaded, snapped or adhered to any type of primary container) for mixing with the container contents manually by an individual when ready for use. The shelf life of the combine ingredients in this invention can be extended indefinitely. The dispensing cap can be used as a storage chamber of one or more storage tanks in a dosing cap to release a combination of liquids and or powders for any ingredients that can be admixed with any other contents that are stored in a primary container.

Many current bottle caps include a drinking spout and flow valve to allow the user to drink directly from the primary container. Manually opening and closing the drinking spout adds germs and bacteria to the spout and is unsanitary and possibly health threatening. Water bottles are a good example that includes caps with drinking spouts. The invention disclosed herein provides for a dispensing cap that includes a drink through passage that can be closed by a flip-top cover eliminating the manually activated conventional drinking spout. The cap flip-top protective cover prevents liquid flow from the primary container when not in use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A three-piece dispensing cap for attachment to a primary container, said dispensing cap having a chamber for storing and a flexible actuator for releasing one or more ingredients into a primary container at time of use. The dispensing cap includes a drink through passage and a protective cover to close the drink through passage when not in use. The dispensing cap body includes an ingredient storage chamber having a bottom opening used to fill the ingredients into the storage chamber which when filled is then covered with a foil seal or a plastic end cover having a line of weakening or a tearable molded plastic seal cover. The dispensing cap body also includes an annular wall having internal threads for attachment to the threaded neck of the primary container.

A rigid protective dust cover fits over the top of the dispensing cap to prevent inadvertent or accidental activation and dispensing of the cap ingredients. The dust cover must be removed to utilize the dispensing cap.

The dispensing cap body is constructed of two separately molded pieces permanently join together which include an upper member and a lower member. The upper member includes a sealed flexible actuator and the drink through passage, while the lower member includes the ingredient storage chamber and a sealed frangible bottom cover. The upper member and the lower member are joined at the factory. At the time of use of the invention, portions of the cap body upper member can be moved downwardly against the cap body lower member to dispense the ingredients in the storage chamber and to open the drink through passage.

The cap body lower member has two separate sealed areas that are frangible to protect the ingredients until time of use. The cap body upper member has two separate seal piercing members moved by a flexible actuator at time of use to puncture and open the two separate sealed areas protecting the ingredients. This action allows the ingredients to fall into the primary container by gravity and opens the drink through passage between the primary container and the open end of the drink through passage.

The cap body lower member includes a flexible resilient stair step- shaped area having a plunger connected on its bottom side, said plunger including a bottom edge that is a cutting surface used to puncture and pierce the sealed cover or foil covering the bottom end of the storage chamber during actuation. The cap body lower member also has a top annular ring that is cylindrical attached above the flexible resilient stair step area and a foil seal that protects the entrance to the storage chamber. The lower member top annular ring receives an element in the upper member that includes the drink through passage and a seal penetrator that when activated penetrates the seal blocking the drink through passage at time of use.

The cap body upper member and lower member cooperate together when the protective cover is depressed downwardly moving the upper member downwardly against the resilient stair step area and moving the plunger downwardly breaking open the bottom of the sealed storage container and breaking open the sealed top of the storage container exposing the drink through passage for use. Once the ingredients have been mixed in the primary container, the user opens the protective cover on the top of the device so that the mixed ingredients can be consumed through the drink through passage without having to manually pull or push a drinking spout so that the drink through passage is not touched by the user's hands.

It is an object of this invention to provide a substance or ingredient release dispensing cap for dispensing one or more ingredients into a primary container contents at time of use for mixing to eliminate shelf life problems in the use of preservatives and to provide a container with a drink through passage that is hands-free.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing cap for dispensing ingredients into a primary container that includes a drink through passage and a flip top protective cover to seal the opening of the drink through passage when the device is not in use.

In accordance with the use and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. DR

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view in cross-section of the invention with the dust cover attached before activation, with the drink through cover open and closed for illustration purposes.

FIG. 2 shows a side elevational view in cross-section with the dust cover after activation, with the drink through cover open and closed for illustration purposes.

FIG. 3 shows a top perspective view of the cap body lower member.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom perspective view of the cap body lower member with the bottom opening of the storage chamber shown without a cover or seal before filling.

FIG. 5 shows a side elevational view in cross-section of the cap body lower member.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the cap body upper member.

FIG. 7 shows a bottom perspective view of the cap body upper member

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a dispensing cap 10 having a cap body lower member 12 attached to a cap body upper member 14 and a removable dust cover 1600 that also prevents accidental or inadvertent activation of the device. In order to use or activate the device, the dust cover 16 must be removed.

The cap body lower member 12 is a molded piece that includes an annular wall 12 a having internal threads 12 aa that allowed the device to be threadably attached to a primary container having a threaded opening neck such as a bottle. The lower member also includes a cylindrical storage chamber having a rigid cylindrical wall 12 b molded into really with annular wall 12 a. The top end of the storage chamber 12 b is sealed with a flexible wall portion 12 c is shaped in a stairstep configuration in cross-section that itself is connected to the cylindrical arc shaped plunger 12 e. The plunger 12 e may be made in an arc that is cylindrical extending approximately 270°. This is integrally formed in a mold as part of the lower member. A top annular ring 12 g is also molded to the lower member is one piece. The bottom of the annual ring 12 g is sealed by a plastic cover 12 gg having a line of weakening so that the entire upper end of the storage chamber which also includes the plunger 12 e.

At the factory the storage chamber 20 is filled with the ingredients which also completely covers the plunger 12 e. Once the ingredients have been added, a foil seal 18 or a plastic Or cover 18 is attached to the very bottom of the storage chamber 20 sealing the entire storage chamber and the ingredients therein. The ingredients will remain sealed until the time of use when the device is activated.

The cap body upper member 14 includes a cylindrical body having an annular wall 14 that engages the annular ring 12 g of the lower member permitting relative movement vertically between the upper member 14 and the lower member 12. The upper member includes within the upper member housing 14 a cylindrical drink through passage 22 that includes an additional passage 14 ff at the lower end that is also closed by a seal penetrator 14 c. when the device is activated by pushing down on the upper member 14, the seal penetrator 14 c punctures and opens the lower member sealed 12 gg which then allows contents to be transferred from the primary container to the drink through passage 22.

The cap body lower member 12 has a very important annular slot 24 that engages the bottom annular base of the upper member 14 c thus connecting the lower member 12 to the upper member 14 in such a manner that permits relative motion between the two.

The upper member 14 also includes a hemispheric we shaped closure cover 14 a connected by a tab integrally to the upper member 14 so that it cannot be separated from the device. The cover 14 a has an internal annular wall 14 aa the outside gambler of which fits inside the drink through passage 22 to form a closure to prevent liquids from flowing out of the drink through passage in the closed position. More importantly the cover 14 is also the uppermost activating member that is used to depress downwardly the upper member which activates the entire device dispensing ingredients and puncturing the drink through passage seal permitting liquids to flow through the drink through passage.

As shown in FIG. 1, the dispensing cap 10 has not been activated as indicated by the fact that the bottom storage chamber seal 18 has not been ruptured by the serrated teeth 12 f of the plunger 12 e and the sealed 12 gg at the top of the storage chamber has not been penetrated by the penetrator 14 c opening the drink through passage 22.

FIG. 2 shows the disposition of the device after the top seal has been penetrated by penetrator 14 c so that upper member has moved to engage the resilient portion 12 c of the lower member. To complete activation the top cover 14 a will be pushed down more causing the plunger 12 e to rupture seal 18.

FIG. 3 shows the cap body lower member 12. Including the top annular ring 12 g, the drink through passage seal 12 gg, the flexible resilient area 12 c shaped like a stairstep, the annual wall 12 a used to attach the device to a primary container and the bottom wall portion 12 of the storage chamber. Slot 24 is also shown that receives the annular base of the upper member when they are joined together as a unit as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the bottom view of the lower member 12 that includes plunger 12 e having serrated teeth or cutting edge 12 f that is used to puncture and pierce the seal and storage chamber cover (not shown in FIG. 4). The storage chamber 12 bottom edge is shown as is the annular wall 12 that contains threads 12 aaa for attaching the device to a primary container.

FIG. 5 shows the cap body lower member 12 in cross-section in greater detail. The top of the lower member includes a cylindrical annular wall 12 g. This receives the element containing the drink through passage in the lower member when the lower member is joined to the upper member. The annular wall 12 also includes a frangible seal 12 g that may include a line of weakening that is pierced by a piercing member in the upper member to allow the drink through passage to receive fluid from the primary container after the ingredients are mixed.

FIG. 5 also shows the plunger 12 integrally molded with the flexible member 12 which is deformable. Another annular wall 12 h has an annular groove 12 hh that receives the bottom rim of the removable dust cover for snapping the Goss cover in place. The slot 24 receives the lower annular base of the upper member to allow movement downwardly for operating the device and joining the upper member to the lower member.

FIG. 5 also shows the storage chamber 20 and note that the storage chamber is sealed at the top by the flexible wall 12 c which gets deformed when the entire unit is depressed downwardly. The annular wall 12 a that is used to attach the device to a primary container threaded opening itself includes threads 12 aa. The bottom cover and seal 18 has an annular protrusion 18 a that fits into an annular groove 12 bb located at the bottom ring of the storage chamber for a tighter fit. The cover 18 can also be sonically welded or heat welded in addition to the protrusion 18 a.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of the dispensing cap upper member 14 which also includes the flip-top cover 14 a that is integrally molded and connected by tab 14 bb to the upper member. Element 14 b is an elongated body that includes a hollow passageway 14 f that is the drink through passage and that terminates in a drink through passage surrounded by piercing element 14 ff. The annular base 14 c is a rigid cylindrical wall that fits into slot 24 shown in FIG. 5 with the lower member 12.

FIG. 7 shows the bottom portion of dispensing cap upper member including the piercing member 14 c, and the flip-top cover 14 a.

In order to operate the device we should look at FIG. 1 and FIG. 5. The dust cover 16 is completely removed. The fliptop cover 14 is put in place over the top member. The top cover 14 a is depressed downwardly causing the piercing element 14 to rupture seal 12 gg. Further depressing the upper member 14 causes the upper member to push down on the flexible wall 12 that's connected directly to the plunger 12 forcing the plunger downwardly piercing and puncturing seal cover 18 at the bottom of the storage chamber 20 dispensing the product ingredients into a primary container for mixing with the contents of the primary container.

In order to drink the mix contents the protective cover 14 is then removed exposing the drink through passageway 22 without touching the passageway with one's hand. Because the seal 12 has been ruptured and the cover seal 18 is ruptured, liquid in the primary container will flow through the plunger 12 through passageway 14 ff and 22 and out of the cap.

The invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. His recognize, however, that departures may be made there from within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispensing cap, comprising: dispensing cap body having an ingredient storage chamber with a bottom opening for filling and a first seal attached over said bottom opening for retaining an ingredient within said ingredient storage chamber; said storage chamber having a flexible upper wall sealing the upper portion of said storage chamber, said flexible upper wall having a bottom surface; an elongated plunger connected at its upper end to said flexible upper wall bottom surface and disposed coaxially within said storage chamber, said plunger being substantially cylindrical in shape forming approximately a 270° arc, said plunger having a bottom edge that includes a cutting surface, and said plunger length sufficient to puncture said first seal attached over the bottom opening of said storage chamber when said upper flexible wall of said storage chamber is depressed downwardly to a predetermined position; an upper member movably attached to said cap body above said storage chamber, said upper member including a central element having a fluid passage dispose there through and a piercing element at one end; said storage chamber including a second seal disposed along its top surface mounted within an annular upwardly projecting wall formed with said storage chamber; an upper member element having a central passage mounted within said storage chamber upper annular wall, said drink through passage piercing member being disposed adjacent said second seal and said second member being movable sufficient downwardly for said piercing member to rupture said second seal when said device is activated.
 2. A dispensing cap as in claim 1, including an annular threaded wall for attachment to a primary container in order to combine an ingredient in said storage chamber with a second ingredient disposed in said primary container.
 3. A dispensing cap as in claim 1, including a dust cover removably connected and connectable to the top of said dispensing cap body.
 4. A dispensing cap as in claim 1, including a closure cover connected to said upper member and connectable to said drink through passage opening for closing said drink through passage opening and for manually activating said device by pressing down on said upper member.
 5. A dispensing cap as in claim 1, wherein said upper member has a first non-activating position relative to said storage chamber and a second activating position relative to said storage member in which said first and second seals are ruptured in the second activating position 